Results of the Energy Bar competition

At the end-of-season party, the CSU juniors held an energy bar competition. A panel of distinguished judges tasted all the bars, and ranked them based on taste, nutrition, and presentation/packageability. There were some really neat entries, and some really creative names. There were also some really delicious bars, as well as some that tasted like energy bars.

With no further ado, the top five energy bars:

1. Rasin the Bar - Hannah and Calvin
2. 3R Bar - Eli and Rebecca
3. Simply Power - Olivia and Zoe
4. Chocolate Fusion - Cate and Jacob
Fifth place was a tie:
5. Cerebral Stalwart Ultra - Corey and Nadja
5. Maple Almond Granola Bars - Rosemary Benson (Catherine's mom)

We also had submissions from Meg, Rosie, Cathy Schen (gluten free!), Izzy Cole, Olivia Cannon, Peter Hoenig, and Liza.

Some of the recipes are below... not everyone has sent me the recipes, but once I nag them some more, we should have all six winning recipes on the blog. Who will be the first to test out some of these bars on a long rollerski??

Chocolate Fusion Bars
By Jacob and Cate
• 1 cup chocolate chips
• 2 Tsp. shortening
• 1/6 cup honey
• 2 Tbsp. orange juice
• 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 cup unbleached flour
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1/8 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 Tbsp. canola oil
• 1/8 cup dark corn syrup
• 1 egg white
• 1/2 cup instant oats
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Instructions: honey, OJ and lemon juice. Mix all other ingredients separately (except chocolate chips). Combine 2 mixtures, add ½ cup chocolate chips, and flatten into rectangle; cut into 6 pieces. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes. Dip in melted ½ cup chocolate and shortening. Store in freezer prior to eating.

Maple Almond Granola Bars

Rosemary Benson
Ingredients:
2.5 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
0.5 cup whole almonds
0.5 cup sliced almonds
0.5 cup chopped pecans
0.5 cup raisins
0.5 cup dried cranberries
0.25 cup milled flaxseed
0.25 cup sunflower seed kernels
0.75 cup wheat germ
0.25 cup whey protein
0.50 cup almond butter
0.75 cup maple syrup
2.0 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 325˚F. Mix oats, almonds, pecans, flaxseed, sunflower seeds, and wheat germ. Spread on rimmed cookie sheet and toast in oven for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. In saucepan, mix almond butter, maple syrup, and vanilla and heat till warm and gooey. In large bowl, combine toasted oat mixture with the raisins, dried cranberries, and whey protein. Pour maple syrup mixture into oats bowl and mix until it’s all sticking together. Press into a thick layer in a 9”x9” baking pan—use that upper arm strength and press hard. Bake for 20 minutes at 325˚F. Let cool completely and cut into bars with a very sharp knife. Enjoy!